Can You Hear My Voice? Part 2

Can you hear YOUR voice?

I recently completed a meditation called "Finding Your Voice". During the meditation we were asked to make sounds in a state of relaxation without judgement and without regard for what sounds we created. I heard parts of my voice I never knew existed, the sensation was indescribable. It got me thinking further about whether or not my voice is authentic.

The only true voice I ever knew was the voice I used to make music. It was the only way I could express myself freely. And initially it was instrumental music that I used to express myself, specifically through the piano.

However, I desperately wanted to sing but my school choir directors didn't regard my voice. I went through all of my musical education thinking I could not sing. When I was finally chosen to sing the choir directors would put me in the alto section because I could read music. I believe the alto label was incorrect, but it followed me and I complied.

During my teens Madonna, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson were all the rage (I'm dating myself here). I remember singing along trying my best to sound like each of them, and many of my peers did the same. As I started to work in Musical Theatre, I had to adjust my voice to appease the various musical styles. It was usually done in an unhealthy way. Nevermind throwing dancing in the mix with the singing.

I was attracted to classical singing later in life so all of the confusion I already had about my voice was compounded by expectations. Instead of letting my voice be what it was it had to have a label. And once it was labeled there were always the questions about what it was.

To further confuse my voice were the folks who thought I needed to sing like a black person (whatever that means). I already experienced judgement because I didn't talk like a black person (again, whatever that means). It just never made sense to me. I speak like ME and I sing like ME too.

Incidently, the singers we all know and love are those with a unique or authentic voice. Someone who speaks their truth in a way no one else can. Yet we rarely pursue that on our own, instead we try to copy those voices that do not belong to us.

So in conclusion, perhaps learning about ourselves can reveal more about our voices. The alternative is to let others define them for us. This can go a long way in not just singing or talking but also truly listening to our intuition and inner spirit.

Can you hear YOUR voice?